Sunday, 30 December 2012

This year has a been a bit of a rollercoaster for me, been lots of ups and downs. But in september this year I decided to become a book review bloggist as I have always loved reading books so I wanted to share my opinions of books with other book bloggists, authors and generally people who enjoy reading too :-)

My plans for New years eve this year are spending it with family going to see The Hobbit at the cinema, very excited he he!!

I have lost some close friendships and not had much luck with love and men this year but have also gained hell of a lot of new friends from these past months and still got my closest friends from the last 5 years :-)

I hope to keep on book reviewing in 2013, have my brilliant friends who keep me smiling and are wonderful, maybe a new romance?

I feel 2013 will be my year and I hope to everyone 2013 will also be your year too!

I want to wish you all a fantastic and sparkly Happy New Year!! Make sure you drink plenty of champagne and have a great time whether its with friends, family or loved ones.

Tuesday, 25 December 2012

Well the time has come around again, Yes Christmas has arrived he he! Now I love this time of year its just perfect for sharing and receiving presents but also spreading lots of love to friends and family. I wish you all a wonderful and special Merry Christmas, I hope you all have a splendid time and eat and drink lots and spread so much love around.I have had a fantastic time building up to the festive celebration with some great new books that came out.Now there has been some wonderful Christmassy reads and I have certainly thoroughly enjoyed them ever so much! I am such a chick-lit fan and I have loved all the Christmassy feel books this year!

Here is my list of perfect Chick-Lit Christmas Books 2012(They are all a must read and will definitely get you in the festive mood!)

Thursday, 20 December 2012

Journalist Kitty Logan's career is being destroyed by scandal - and now she faces losing the woman who guided and taught her everything she knew. At her terminally ill friend's beside, Kitty asks - what is the one story she always wanted to write? The answer lies in a file buried in Constance's office: a list of one hundred names. There is no synopsis, nothing to explain what the story is or who these people are. The list is simply a mystery.

But before Kitty can talk to her friend, it is too late. With everything to prove, Kitty is assigned the most important task of her life: to write the story her mentor never had opportunity to. Kitty not only has to track down and meet the people on the list, but find out what connects them. And, in the process of hearing ordinary people's stories, she starts to understand her own.

Now i've always been a big fan of Cecelia Ahern's, Iv read pretty much every book she has ever written and have loved them very very much especially Ps I Love You and Where the Rainbow ends.

Now when I first saw the cover of this book I thought Yes! another book by Cecelia Ahern Im going to love it, A Hundred Names what possibly could happen?

So we meet the ever so lovely Kitty Logan who's a journalist but her career is slowly going down the pan after writing a story which happened to be such a bad scandal leaving her name being tarnished and noone wanting to work with her.However her mentor Constance is the only one who has always believed in Kitty and taught her everything she knew. Kitty asked her what is the one story she always wanted to write..so constance explains her answer lies in a file buried in her office a list of One Hundred Names..Kitty left confused tries to ask her friend however she is too late. Kitty must decide herself what the hundred names mean, what's the connection with them all and find a story..

For me this book I enjoyed some parts but I also was disappointed with other parts. At one point reading this book I felt confused and as though the story wasn't really going anywhere. However i stuck it out and enjoyed the last couple of chapters. I did feel very sorry for Kitty having her career be tarnished like that but it taught her you can't always trust everyone but also you mustn't judge a book before it's cover. Kitty was definitely the heroine in this book and having to piece the whole one hundred names as one big puzzle was fantastic.

I loved some of the stories from the people Kitty meets in this book, I don't want to give too much away but people who are a big fan of Cecelia Ahern then you will enjoy this!

Title: The Girl You Left BehindAuthor: JoJo MoyesPublication Date: 27th September 2012Publisher: PenguinWhat happened to the girl you left behind?

in 1916 French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the paintings dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...

In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most - whatever the cost.

JoJo Moyes is one of my top best authors and first book i ever read was Me Before You and That was splendid so I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed with this new read and I certainly wasn't, I definitely enjoyed this book so much, it pulled at my heart strings a couple of times and I really did get into the characters aswell, I had read her short e-read of Honeymoon In Paris which was about Sophie,Edouard,Liv and David so in this book I warmed up quickly again with the characters and feeling like I was in the same boat as them and wanted to help them. I really loved the front cover of the book, it stood out so well on the shelves and I grabbed my copy so quick hehe.It was a pretty cover and I knew straight away it was a JoJo Moyes book!

We meet two women a century apart, both women determinated to fight for the thing they love the most,
Sophie who is married to a french artist Edouard Lefevre but he leaves her behind to look after her sister,brother and the rest of the family while he goes out to the front line, The Germans take over in her local town but Sophie soon stirs trouble with the local German Kommandant over the painting of herself which her husband had painted...
A century later, Liv was given the painting by her young husband David for their wedding present who then suddenly dies leaving Liv alone and no one really to turn to until she meets Paul in a bar..but her life is soon to take a down turn...

I absolutely adored this book right from the start, JoJo definitely knew how to write this and make it tug at your heart all the way through, the book gets split in two, first reading Sophie's side and what happened in 1916 and how the Germans took over her town and quickly leaving Sophie feeling very alone when the whole town suddenly turn on her when one silly mistake she decides.
The second half of the book is Liv's side and reading all about the trial of the painting, meeting paul and suddenly being left by her husband so suddenly.

I really did enjoy reading, I must say my favourite character would have to be Sophie, I definitely felt very warm to her and did at times feel helpless for her and wished she could of gone a different path. Sophie is definitely the heroine in this book in my eyes even though I did love Liv's character too I just thought Sophie's story was more thrilling and more heartbreaking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I recommend anyone to read The Girl You Left Behind but also other books by JoJo Moyes, You won't be disappointed!

Monday, 10 December 2012

Honeymoon In Paris takes places several years before the events to come in The Girl You Left Behind when both couples have just married. Sophie, a provincial girl, is swept up in the glamour of Belle Poque Paris but discovers that loving a feted artist like Edouard brings undreamt of complications.

Following in Sophie's footsteps a hundred years later, Liv, after a whirl wind romance, finds her Parisian honeymoon is not quite the romantic getaway she had been hoping for...

This was a fab short story of 2 women who are both on their honeymoon's, one in the first world war and the other nearly a century later...This is a perfect prequel before starting on The Girl You Left Behind..it will warm you up to the characters Sophie,Edouard,Liv and David. You will more than likely cry so be ready and have some tissues hehe!

I did wish this could of been a little bit longer but it was good to get some background information on all the characters before I started The Girl You Left Behind. It did leave me rushing to find TGYLB very quickly so I could jump back into their lives once again.

The only shame with this story, is it is only on e-read but I would recommend any one to get The Girl You Left Behind and even try and grab a copy of this you will soon warm up more to the characters a lot easily.

Tis the season to be Jolly... but can Eve find happiness through the frost...? Eve has never liked Christmas, not since her beloved fiance was killed in action in Afghanistan on Christmas Day. So when her adored elderly aunt dies, the last thing she is expecting is to be left a theme park in her will. A theme park with a Christmas theme...

And that's not the only catch. Her aunt's will stipulates that Eve must run the park with a mysterious partner, the exotically named Jacques Glace. Who is this Jacques, and why did Aunt Evelyn name him in her will?

But Eve isn't going to back down from a challenge. She's determined to make a success of Winterworld, no matter what. Can she overcome her dislike of Christmas, and can Jacques melt her frozen heart at last?

This was such a fabulous Christmas read, I was giggling at some of the best parts of the book! I am a big fan of Milly Johnson's books, I adored reading White Wedding and I was glad to find out that Violet was appearing again in this new book yay!! So we start with Meeting the Lovely Eve who is awaiting at the solicitors to hear about Aunt Evelyn's will, when Eve finds out her aunt left her a theme park and also some money, but one catch..you have a handsome business partner too Jacques Glace, I just loved the chemistry between Jacques and Eve, I loved the way she misjudges him all the way hehe, You will understand when you read it hehe!

It was great to hear more about Violet who is Eve's cousin and Pav, it was cute to see their relationship develop more and more although I felt like i had bit all of my nails at one point in the book but then was so happpy :)

I also noticed Max and Bella from Milly's last book White Wedding also reappeared which was just fab!

My favourite character in this book would have to be Eve, she was just so brave but also had a frozen heart and hates Christmas because she lost the love of her life Johnathon on Christmas day and Her Fiance's family can't stand her and wouldn't even tell her where he was buried. So she was alone until she received the theme park.

I really did love this book and It was such a great Christmassy feel, I couldn't wait to snuggle up reading this, It was great with plenty of humour but also pulled at my heart strings a couple of times. I want everyone to grab a copy because you will not be disappointed hehe!

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

One perfect Christmas picks up with Alice and Joe one year on... He's a bigger star than ever, and Alice has managed to maintain her anonymity. But how long can that last? Will this be their first - and last - perfect Christmas? And where is Lukas? Snuggle up in front of the fire to read this magical wintery short story about what happened next...

After reading One Perfect Summer By Paige Toon, when I found out she had wrote this little short story of the same characters I couldn't wait to read. The only shame with this is it's only for e-reads which is going to upset some people who haven't got their own e-reader, I for one i'm very lucky to own one so when this came out, I couldn't wait to get stuck in, I know it's only 76 pages so it quickly throws you on the lives with Alice and Joe, It starts where they are at one of Alice's friends wedding and Joe is even more of a star now so he is in a disguise, Not long after that it flicks through 2months, 6months and then 12months later where Alice decides that she wants to go Public with Joe eventually..which was so cute :)

I loved catching up with what happened next with Alice and Joe but also what happened to Lukas after they split...I really enjoyed it alot and was gutted when it just finished on a such a cliffhanger...
I must say if you haven't read One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon then i must urge you to go grab a copy now because you will laugh but will also cry.

I do hope we maybe get to see them again maybe in a future book..eh Paige? hehe! For this short story I will still give it 5 stars because it does deserve it hehe!

Sunday, 2 December 2012

But eighteen months on from the biggest challenge of her, she is doing just that - because she made a promise to the person who believed in her the most.

Determined to step into her uncertain future, Elsie meets handsome Oliver Hogarth who seems intent on winning her heart and inadvertently founds a choir.

Then a heartfelt request brings her to Paris - and the final item on 'The List' she never dared complete. Can Elsie follow her heart and put her past to rest?

So we meet the lovely Elsie Maynard who's recently had a heartbreak and it had taken her eighteen months to recover with the lovely help of her dad Jim, and her sisters Daisy and Guin and also her Boss Cher Pettinger owner of Sundae & Cher. In the opening chapter we read that Elsie getting in trouble for Thieft from a shop however a stranger near by stops to help her and makes the security guy forget about it. The handsome stranger called Torin Stewart her knight in shining armour who she thinks is a complete weirdo...

Elsie starts to make a fresh start in her life by starting to read little messages from a box that her husband left her before he died from Cancer.. step by step Elsie starts to rebuild her life by starting a Choir with her great friend Woody, creating them to recruite people to join their choir.. in the mean time her family and friends feel the need to start setting her up on blind dates...where she meets the lovely Olly Hogarth...

I am a big Miranda Dickinson fan, Iv read all of her books she has ever written and Loved them all so I knew I couldn't be dissapointed with this one either. I was lucky enough when I bought this book to get a copy of the Limited Edition Pink Pages one hehe! Oh how wonderful it brightens the book up! :)

I just loved this book so much, It tugged at my heart strings so much and left me in floods of tears by the end, I loved the flow of writing and how Miranda gets you sucked in the book so much as though you feel like you've known the characters all your life. It was a fantastic read and with all the mix of characters they all just mixed nicely together and you never get confused with which character is who.

I would say Elsie Maynard would have to be my favourite Heroine indeed, she came across as such a lovely woman who is clearly had a tough eighteen months of losing her husband to Cancer and then having to rebuild her life which is what her husband Lucas' wishes were. I felt at times I just needed to give her a big hug and make everything okay. Having lost a family member to Cancer myself I clearly knew how Elsie was going through and how tough it actually can be.

For Elsie and all her choir to get the chance to go to Paris made me smile and dream alot when describing Paris and all the iconic scenic places.

There was some funny parts in the book which will have you giggling and maybe even singing along too hehe! I loved all the flavours of ice cream from Cher's Sundae & Cher business, she did make some weird ones like Horseradish (Ewww!) but then also some rather gorgeous tempting ones too hehe!(Donuts oh yum yum)

I liked that at the end of the story, Miranda included 'The List' that Elsie and Lucas created together, it was cute but also funny to imagine some of the things being done on the list.

I do think this book is a perfect winter read which you will need a box of tissues at the ready.

You must all grab a copy of this book now! Miranda Dickinson you have done it again, You've wrote a perfect chick lit book that people are going to remember for months n months. This book certainly deserves the 5 star rating it's wonderful romantic and perfect for this winter!

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Leanne Curtis has shared more than her heart and her home with womanizing man. She's shared her pin number. The scales are peeled painfully from her eyes when she spots female footprints on the inside windscreen of his car. Devastated, Leanne storms off into the night. He wasn't going to pay her back when he sold his flat, his bolthole, his shag pad, probably, the absolute...! Shivering on a street corner, Leanne comes up with a survival plan. She's no choice. If she's to keep her son in PS3s, Leanne needs a lodger.

Brought up in care, Police constable Paul Davis doesn't communicate well. On duty, he's gloomily contemplating his impending divorce. His wife sleeping with his sergeant is not helping his morose mood. His sergeant has a history, and Paul needs to find somewhere decent to live in order to gain custody of his son, Fast. And to keep his job.

Wrongfully arresting Leanne Curtis for soliciting, he muses, whilst avoiding five-star-freezer looks from her friends, might not be the best way to do it.

Could fate have brought them together, though? Leanne needs a respectable lodger. Paul needs a home. One thing leads to another, and Paul can't quite believe his luck. When a blackmail plot cooked up by Leanne's friends threatens their budding relationship, however, is Paul compelled to uphold the law? Or will he risk everything to make sure Leanne's abusive ex gets his comeuppance?

First of all I want to say I loved this book alot! Sheryl Browne is a relatively new author around at the moment and I jumped up at the chance to review her book for her. It starts with Leanne Curtis having give her man Richard some money that he desperately needed. However things go out of control and when one night she finds female footprints on the inside windscreen of his car...She goes crazy and storms off into the night, However when she's standing on a street corner pretty much half naked She gets wrongly arrested by Police Constable Paul Davis. However she gets let off at the station, does threaten to sue him and all that but does change her mind eventually. Leanne's sister and best friend come to rescue and start to plot their own blackmail plan for Leanne's ex Richard....

I did enjoy this book alot, It was a very lighthearted and exciting read, I was always wanting to see what more was happening on each page. I loved the whole blackmail plot for Richard Leanne's ex..It was very funny, the idiot that he was. The way Sheryl describes Paul Davis...made him sound very dishy hehe! I do love a man in uniform hehe! This book had such a great story line and all the mix of characters just clicked together and they were all unique in their own ways.

I was hooked from the first chapter and i was giggling all the way right to end of the book! Sheryl has written this book so perfectly and lovely. I want everybody to grab a copy and you must read! It's not your most typical rom-com but it was still a fab read which you will be giggling a lot. Sheryl, You are a brilliant author in my eyes and I hope you keep on writing books because you have done an amazing job so far! I Thank You Sheryl for giving me the opportunity to read one of your books and be able to write a review aswell.

Scarlett O'Brien, utterly and addicted to romantic films, has found her leading man. She's convinced Sean is Mr Right, but the day-to-day reality of a relationship isn't quite like the movies. With Sean constantly away on business, Scarlett and her new best friend Oscar decide to head to New York for the holiday of a lifetime. From one famous landmark to the next, Scarlett and Oscar make many new friends during their adventure - including sailors in town for Fleet Week, a famous film star, and Jamie & Max,a Tv Reporter and cameraman.

Scarlett finds herself strangely drawn to Jamie, they appear to have much in common: a love of films and Jamie's search for a parent he never knew.But Scarlett has to ask herself why she is reacting like this to another man when she's so in love with Sean...

First of all, I've gotta say I adored this book! I loved her first one From Notting Hill With Love...Actually where we first meet the lovely Scarlett and Sean. Just a pointer for New readers of Ali McNamara's new book, you don't need to have read her first book because the first couple of chapters do explain few things from the first book.
This book just topped it off, it was great to catch up with the characters and carry on from where we left off seeing into the home life of Scarlett and Sean but also meeting new characters when we hit New York. Things for Scarlett & Sean are going brilliant until however, when Sean is always away with work,Scarlett finds herself getting very lonely and missing Sean a lot, When something crops up and Scarlett gets the chance to go to New York she jumps at the chance and takes her new best friend Oscar with her. They go on a holiday of a lifetime i must say...One they will never forget...

I really did enjoy this book, all the characters were fab and they are mixed in together and the chapters flowed really well, You never once forget a character or get puzzled with the story. It flows great, a bit like a rollercoaster hehe! I couldn't possibly chose a favourite character because I loved them all!
I loved the way Ali describes all the places and scenery in New York which definitely made me want to jump on a plane to there right away! When I found out that Ali was writing a sequel to From Notting Hill With Love....Actually, I just couldn't wait to grab a copy hehe!
This book is your typical chick lit book, which you need to curl up with a nice cuppa and some chocolate and get stuck in! it is an exciting read that has lots of laughter,crying, drama, friendships. A couple of times while reading this book I wanted to sing Frank Sinatra's New York New York hehe! The way Ali describe's everything just makes it seem such a perfect city to visit! I was very envious of her having to research there hehe! If your a big lover of Chick lit films then you are going to love this! Just like in her first book..lots of big films were mentioned like Love Actually and Notting Hill There is even more mentioned in this book of course the fabulous Breakfast At Tiffanys and much much more!

I really did love the ending! It was a true perfect happy ending which will leave you feeling very happy & smiley! Ali McNamara has once again done us proud and the whole book is written terrifically. You will certainly laugh, cry, be sad but will feel like you have been on one heck of a rollercoaster at the end. You must go grab a copy now! I Thank the lovely Jo Wickham at Little Brown for my copy.

About Me

Hi Everybody! My Name Is Abbey, I am 25 years old, I currently work in retail and I am a total bookworm!
I have been currently blogging for 2 and a half years now and I'm still enjoying it!
I just love to read all sorts of different genres of books,
Im always getting called a bookworm whether I'm at home or at work..hehe! Cant help If It's something I enjoy..eh?
I do not get paid for the reviews that i publish, It's my hobby and something that i love doing.
I do own a kindle.
I also publish my reviews on Goodreads and on Amazon.